Leaders around the world and in the United States are condemning this weekend’s far-right wing insurrection led by supporters of Brazil’s failed ex-president, Jair Bolsonaro, who many liken to Donald Trump. Yet some are asking why newly-sworn Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has failed to even acknowledge the attack on democracy, much less denounce it.
“The Brazilian authorities are investigating one of the worst attacks on the country’s democracy in the 38 years since the end of the military dictatorship, after thousands of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s far-right former president, stormed government buildings in the capital, Brasília, on Sunday to protest what they falsely claim was a stolen election,” The New York Times reports.
“The authorities in Brazil detained at least 1,200 people in the capital, Brasília, on Monday, according to a spokesman for the civil police, and began dismantling a tent city where supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro have been camping out since he lost October’s election. Mr. Bolsonaro’s supporters have falsely claimed that the vote was stolen,” The Times added.
“Brazil was also bracing for the possibility of further unrest on Monday as the authorities started to dismantle tent cities outside military headquarters, where Bolsonaro supporters have been camping out since October’s election. The election was won by the leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.”
In the United States, condemnation rained down on Jair Bolsonaro, the “Trump of the Tropics,” who is living in Florida. He is seen as linked to both Donald Trump and Trump’s former top advisor, Steve Bannon. Bannon has reportedly been actively urging unrest in Brazil, and has called the election “rigged and stolen.”
BBC News Sunday night published a lengthy report, “How Trump’s allies stoked Brazil Congress attack.”
“Mr Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, was just one of several key allies of Donald Trump who followed the same strategy used to cast doubt on the results of the 2020 US presidential election,” BBC reports. “And like what happened in Washington on 6 January 2021, those false reports and unproven rumours helped fuel a mob that smashed windows and stormed government buildings in an attempt to further their cause.”
President Joe Biden early Sunday evening declared, “I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. I look forward to continuing to work with @LulaOficial,” he said, referring to Brazil’s duly-elected president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared America stands “with the people of Brazil and democracy.”
“Everyone must stand up and condemn the attack on Brazil’s Congress, Presidency, and Supreme Court. We stand with democracy and with the people of Brazil and against the demagogues who deny election results,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer early Sunday evening.
“The violent attack on democracy in Brazil is eerily reminiscent of the insurrection on January 6th. The people of Brazil voted in a free and fair election and deserve a peaceful transfer of power. I condemn this violence and stand in solidarity in defense of democracy,” tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
“Rioters attack government buildings in Brazil, supporting a strongman’s bogus claims of election fraud. The world will suffer the consequences of Trump’s terrible example for years to come. Even as we struggle to emerge from the same dark shadow. We stand with you, Brazil,” said U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-MA).
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) blamed McCarthy for the Brazilian insurrection.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called for the United States to extradite Bolsonaro back to Brazil.
So did U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Mark Takano (D-CA), according to NBC News.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “Using violence to attack democratic institutions is always unacceptable,” as he “pledged support,” according to The Times, to Brazil’s President Lula.
The Presidents of Argentina, France, Spain, and Uruguay all issued statements supporting Brazil’s rightful President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
But from the top elected Republican in the nation, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, nothing.
No tweets, no press releases, no remarks to reporters,
Nothing.
Some are outraged.
“Not one tweet from @SpeakerMcCarthy denouncing the attack in Brazil. Hoping Democratic members of congress call a no confidence vote for McCarthy’s refusal to denounce the attack in Brazil!!” tweeted SiriusXM host Dean Obeidallah.
Award-winning writer, journalist and filmmaker Steven Beschloss, who has written for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, called McCarthy’s silence, along with Senate GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s, “despicable.”
“The failure of the new House Speaker and the Senate Minority Leader to condemn the violent, anti-democratic coup attempt in Brazil is despicable,” he said.
See the tweets and videos above or at this link.